Butter and cheese cutter



BUTTER AND CHEESE CUTTER Filed June 18, 1954 5 2 5y mm Patented Dec. 10, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUTTER AND CHEESE CUTTER Gertrude L. Smith, Los Angeles, Calif. Application June 18, 1934, Serial No. 731,110 4 Claims. (Cl. 31-27) My invention relates generally to culinary utensils and more particularly toa cutter that may be conveniently employed for cutting or slicing food products such as butter, cheese, hardboiled eggs, vegetables and the like.

A further object of my invention is, to provide a cutting or slicing device of the character referred to that is of strong and rigid construction, capable of being readily manipulated and said device having two or more sets of relatively small or fine cutting wires arranged in parallelism and mounted so as to cut various products into slices or sections of uniform size.

A further object of my invention is, to general- 1y improve upon and simplify the construction of the existing forms of devices designed for the cutting or slicing of butter, cheese and eggs and for the slicing or dicing of vegetables or fruit.

With the foregoing and other objects in view my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangements of partsthat will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l isa plan view of a cutter constructed in accordance with my invention. i

Fig. 2 isr a cross section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View similar to Fig. 2 and showing a modified arrangement for anchoring the cutting Wires.

Fig. 5 is an elevational View taken looking in the direction indicated by the arrow 5 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is` a plan View of a modified form of the cutter.

Fig. '7 is a cross section taken on the line 'l-l of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the end portion of a further modified form of the device.

Fig. 9 is a. plan view of the device constructed in accordance with my invention for performing, slicing and dicing operations.

Fig. l is a. plan view of a modified form of the slicer and dicer.

Fig. 1l is a plan view of a further modified form of the slicer.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing and particularly to Figures l to 3 inclusive, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, it, lil designate a pair of identical side members preferably formed of heavy Wire and the intermediate portion of each member is bent inwardly to form a substantially C-shaped member li, thus spacing the end portions of the side members further apart than the intermediate portions.

The parallel central portions of the members I I are rigidly connected in any suitable manner, preferably by a plate or strip I2 of sheet metal which passes around the parallel legs of the members l I. Connecting member I2 which provides a convenient handle for the manipulation of the device, is rigidly secured to the parallel legs of the 10 members II, either by spot welding, brazing or rivets.

Rigidly fixed on the spaced end portions of the side members I0, and extending lengthwise thereon are metal straps I3 having portions I4 l5 that are wrapped about the members IG and portions of these straps pro-ject toward each other inwardly from the portions of members I0 upon which they are mounted.

Pressed downwardly from the projecting portions of the straps I3, are short fingers or tongues I5, which latter are spaced equal distances apart and the tongues on one strap are positioned in direct transverse alignment with the tongues on the other strap.

These tongues or ngers i5 provide anchorage for the cutting wires IS, which latter are formed by extending a wire of suitable length from one side of the device to the other and passing said wire between the fingers l5 and the under faces 30 of the straps i3.

The ends of the wire, after being thus arranged between the two sides of the device, are suitably secured to the straps i3.

Thus the cutting wires are arranged in parallelism 'between the widened end portions of the frame of the device, and due to the uniform spacing of the ngers I5, the wires are arranged equal distances apart and therefore when the device is used the wires will cut the food product into slices 40 of uniform thickness.

I prefer to space the wires at one end of the frame further apart than the spacing of the wires at the other end of the frame, thus enabling the device to be used for cutting slices of different thicknesses.

In the modified construction illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, straps of metal such as I1, are wrapped around the spaced end portions of the side members of the frame with portions of said straps extending vertically downward. Formed in these depending portions of the straps are slits or notches I8 that provide anchorage for the cutting wires such as I9 that extend from one side of the device to the other.

The modified construction illustrated in Fig. 6 comprises a plate 20 of pressed sheet metalor cast metal and formed on the ends of said plate are handles 2| that facilitate the manipulation of the device.

Projecting in opposite directions from the sides of plate 2U, are spaced parallel arms 22,V on the Y outer faces of which are formed ears or lugs 2,3, the latter being provided at their upper ends with notches or recesses l23a. A ne wireor Wires are extended between the arms 22 to form a plurality of cutting members 24 that are spaced apart from and arranged parallel with each other andV portions of these wires occupy the notches in the ears or lugs 23.

Theends of the wire or wires forming the cut-v 24 are suitably anchoredto the Y notches 28 for the-reception of the wire or wires 29 that are drawn taut between the arms 26 to form cutting and slicing elements.

In the modified construction illustratedin Fig. 9, a rectangular frame 30 is formed of cast metal or pressed sheet metal and Aprojecting from opposite sides ofthis frame are parallel arms 3|.

Cutting wires 32 disposed in parallel spaced relation arefarranged between the pairs of arms 3| and anchored thereto in. any suitable manner to form cutting elements, and arranged within the frame 30 are two sets of spaced parallel wires or cutting elements 33, the wires or elements of one set being disposed at right angles to the wires or elements of the other set so cross each other.

The central portion of this device containing the crossed wires or cutting elements may be conveniently used forV cutting fruit, vegetables and the like,.into small cube-like portions and such device in the culinary artis referred-to as a dicer.

In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 10, a substantially rectangularframe 34 is formed of cast or pressedY sheet opposite sides with handles 35.

that said wires Projecting from .one end of this'frame, are parallel arms 36 be? tween which are arranged taut wires 31 that may be. used in performing slicing operations, Yand ar-Y ranged within the frame 34 and connected to the rails thereof are two sets Yof crossed wires 38 which Y perform dicing operations when the implement is so used. Y

In the modied form of device illustrated'in Fig. 11, a substantially rectangular frame 39 is formed of cast or pressed metal and extending from one side rail of said frame to the other are spaced parallel wires or cutting elments 40.

Projecting from the corners of frame 33 on one side thereof, are spaced arms 4|, and'extending between these arms are spaced parallel wires or cutting elements 42. l Y

In retail trade butter is to a large'extent pro duced and packed Vin quarter-pound portions, which are about three VorfourV inchesin length metal and provided on Vtionof cheese or butter anynumber of slices desired, and in Fig. 1 I have -shown in dotted lines portions of cheese or butter arranged so that a number of slices of uniform thickness may be out from the ends of said portions of cheese or butter.

Thus the device may be used for simultaneously cutting a portion of food product into slices of uniform thickness or for cutting one 0r more slices from the end of the portion of food product.

In the manipulation of my improved cutting and slicing device, the frame thereof is manually engaged and manipulated so as to position the wires on top of the butter, cheese, egg or vegetable that is to be sliced and sucient downward pressure is exerted upon the device to force the cutting wires through the product, and as a result the latter, or a portion thereof, is cut into slices of uniform thickness.

Thus Yit will be seen that I have provided a cutting and slicing device that is relatively simple in construction,- inexpensive of manufacture and very eifective inl performing the functions for which it is intended.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved butter and cheese cutter may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

f I ,claim asv my invention:

1. A cutter for butter, cheese, eggs, vegetables and the likecomprising a frame, a pair of parallel arms projecting from one side of said frame, a

plurality of spaced parallel wires arranged between said arms and two sets of spaced parallel wires arranged within said frame with the wires of one set disposed substantially at right angles to the wires ofthe other set.

2. A cutter for butter, cheese, eggs, vegetables f and Athe like, comprising a frame, two sets of parallel Aspaced wires arranged within said frame with the wires of one set disposed substantially at right angles to the wires of the other set, a pair of parallel arms extending from each end of said frame and a plurality of spaced parallel wires extending between the members of each pair of arms. i

`3. A cutter for butter, cheese, eggs, vegetables and the like, comprising a handle, spaced parallel arms projectingfrom both ends of said handle and spaced parallel cutting members arranged Y between each pair of spaced arms.

4. A cutter for butter, cheese, eggs, vegetables and the like, comprising a frame, a pair of parallel arms projecting from one end of said frame, a plurality vof spaced parallel cutting members arranged between said arms and two sets of spaced parallel cutting members arranged within said frame with the cutting members of one set disposed substantially at right 'angles to the cutting members of the other set.

GERTRUDE L. SMITH. 

